Bolgar is calling but not accommodating: how to get rid of ‘one-day tourism’
Under the control of Mintimer Shaimiyev, a hotel complex with 150 beds was built in Bolgar to reduce the acute shortage of places

“Bolgar keeps 14 cultural heritage sites of Russia and UNESCO as well as a lot of monuments of republican significance. You can live here for six months, but tourists are given one day — there are not enough hotels for an overnight stay,”Taliya Minullina criticized the authorities of Spas District for their short-sightedness in revealing the tourist potential of the Islamic centre. Being under the protection of UNESCO, Bolgar attracts up to 1 million guests per year, and hotels can provide 1,800 beds. Read about where Mintimer Shaimiyev decided to build the Ibn Fadlan country complex, why Chistopolye company came to Bolgar and what made the head complain about tax evasion by local businesses in a report of Realnoe Vremya.
Didn't get “on topic” right away
Head of the Spas District Fargat Mukhametov was the main guest of the traditional meeting with municipalities at the Tatarstan Investment Development Agency (TIDA). And it was immediately clear that his “story” promised to be about Bolgar, about tourism and culture and once again about tourism. There is no place here for gigantic production or business tycoons, or billion-dollar investments. After all, the protected Bolgar is the oldest land in Russia. Volga Bulgaria accepted Islam here in 922. Next to it, you can build the island-city of Sviyazhsk. There are only a few such shrines.
“Bolgar is our pearl that needs to be protected and cherished. The first thing that comes to mind is UNESCO, the adoption of Islam in 922,” noted head of TIDA Taliya Minullina giving the floor to the owner of the Spas land.
Being a strong manager, Fargat Mukhametov placed the emphasis in his own way. Like the others, he focused on the socio-economic results of the district in 2024, without departing from the usual template. Thus, the volume of GRP is projected at 7.9 billion rubles, and investments amounted to 1.9 billion rubles.

The head of the municipality emphasised the agricultural specifics of the district stressing that“ the district is the leader in the republic in the cultivation of sunflower, soybeans, rapeseed, hemp.” Few people in Tatarstan are engaged in the cultivation of industrial crops, he said.
“In the Spas District, they were sown on an area of 25,775 hectares, the average yield was 21.2 c/ha,” he noted with pride.
But later, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food of Tatarstan Rustem Gainullov noted that the “district” is “average” and many agricultural lands remain abandoned, not involved in commercial turnover.
It was felt that the management was more concerned with everyday chores than with tourism. They “put in a good word” about it later. Fargat Mukhametov reported that in the 10 years since the inclusion of Bolgar Museum-Reserve in the UNESCO World Heritage List, the tourist flow has grown to 910,000 people. But in Bolgar there are 10 hotels with 1,800 beds. Therefore, tourists come only for an excursion, for one day. For this reason, the catering industry has flourished and there are more river cruises.
“In 2024, Bolgar received 254 Meteors and 165 motor ships,” he said.
“You can live here for six months”
“One-day tourism” is not enough for Bolgar guests, said Taliya Minullina, head of the Investment Development Agency. In her opinion, the authorities cannot use the advantages of historical heritage under the UNESCO “label.”
“Bolgar keeps 14 cultural heritage sites of Russia and UNESCO, as well as many monuments of republican significance. You need to live here for six months, but tourists are given one day — there are not enough hotels for an overnight stay,” Taliya Minullina criticised the local authorities.
She suggested working out projects to expand the number of rooms for presentation to investors.
Vice President of Opora Russia Azat Gazizov agreed that investors need a holistic and clear development strategy, not fragmentary calculations. As an example, he cited Veliky Novgorod, which is located 2 hours from St Petersburg, began to attract 3.5 million tourists a year. “This is thanks to the governor's breakthrough,” Gazizov explained.

The barbed remarks could not help but touch the head of Spas District. Fargat Mukhametov responded by saying that he was well acquainted with the experience of the Veliky Novgorod authorities, but that business itself was hindering the reformatting of the tourism industry. According to him, entrepreneurs evade taxes.
Currently, the hotel infrastructure includes 10 hotels. Its dominant feature is the five-star Kul Gali hotel, which is 100% full. In the past, 43,000 guests visited it. A fishing recreation centre with 34 beds was built on the banks of the Volga in the village of Rzhavets, Naylya Halal cafe with 200 seats in Bolgar and Regina hotel. Investments in the service sector amounted to 63.5 million rubles.
Shaimiyev will open a hotel in honour of Ibn Fadlan
The Republican Fund for the Revival of Historical and Cultural Monuments of the Republic of Tatarstan has taken on the elimination of the shortage of accommodation places. Under the leadership of the State Advisor of the Republic of Tatarstan
A suburban complex for 150 people is being built by Mintimer Shaimiyev. It is located 600 metres from the White Mosque where all tourists visiting Bolgar try to get. The complex is named after the Arab writer and traveller Ibn Fadlan. Why?
“If there were no notes by Ibn Fadlan, we would not have proven that Islam was adopted in Bolgar in 922,” said Shaimiyev himself ten years ago, speaking at Ibn Fadlan's Journey: The Volga Route from Baghdad to Bulgar exhibition at the Hermitage-Kazan.

Despite the proximity to the White Mosque, the foundation decided to build a three-star hotel.
“The most popular hotels are at reasonable prices,” said Ayrat Safargalin, deputy executive director of the republican Renaissance Foundation.
According to him, the tourist flow is growing thanks to the events held by the Renaissance Foundation, and there is a shortage of space. A 5.5-hectare plot of land was allocated for the construction of the hotel, and the hotel itself was built from scratch. It includes two two-story buildings with 44 rooms.
“In total, it will be able to accommodate 96 guests. Finishing work is currently being completed. The hotel will open in April,” he said.
The construction was carried out using funds from philanthropists.

Nearby, Chistopolye owned by Albert, son of Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin, plans to launch a meat processing complex with a capacity of 1,080 tonnes per year. This was reported by the head of the company, Nail Zalakov. For this, Chistopolye established a subsidiary, Agrofirma 16 (registered in Spas District) purchased a building for meat processing in Bolgar and a slaughterhouse in the village of Tri Ozera.
According to Nail Zalakov, the meat processing complex is going to produce clean meat according to halal standards, premium sausages. The projected revenue is 1.3 billion.
“This will be our first step into processing,” Zalakov noted.
At the same time, Chistopolye is in the process of launching a turkey farm in the Leninogorsk District.
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